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" Oh how to weather those grizzly ides of March, when spring is on the horizon but winter won&amp;#039;t release its deathly grip? Just do as the Germans do and drink. Starkbierzeit, or Strong Beer Festival, a lesser known cousin of Oktoberfest, is a three-week German beer festival in Munich that celebrates the coming spring. And while Oktoberfest gets all of the attention, Starkbierzeit is actually the older festival. It was started in the mid-1600s by Paulener monks, who would brew extra potent beer to help sustain them through their Lenten fast. The higher alcohol content\u2014guidelines for &amp;quot;starkbier&amp;quot; guarantee at least 7.5% alcohol with some reaching 9%\u2014also helps ward off the chill from those last cold days of winter.  But if you do decide to celebrate this Strong Beer festival, just know that a true starkbier has to come from Munich, so look for beers from Munchen breweries like Paulener, Lowenbrau, Augustiner and Unions. And as for what to do with yourself between hoisting steins of heady brew, it maybe won&amp;#039;t come as a shock to learn that a Strong Beer festival is all about feats of strength. There are wood chopping competitions, and a traditional stone-lifting contest that involves trying to shift rocks weighing more than 600 pounds. If you plan to hire an oompah band for your Starkbierzeit beer-chanties, best do it quickly, this year&amp;#039;s festival runs until March 28th. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drinks/news/a33777/strong-beer-fest-munich-oktoberfest-alternatives/>